Scientists will measure key nuclear reactions that occur when stars explode, as part of new research led by the University of Surrey. The project aims to improve our understanding of how chemical elements are created.

The research team will investigate key nuclear reactions that take place during stellar explosive events, including novae, X-ray bursts and core-collapse supernovae. Through experiments at the University of Notre Dame in the United States and the GANIL radioactive ion beam laboratory in France, researchers will measure nuclear fusion reactions that help create and shape elements scattered across the Universe – including those that make up our own planet.

Dr Ragandeep Singh Sidhu, a Surrey Future FAUST Fellow, has received a £30,000 Royal Society Research Grant to lead the work at Surrey. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental properties of atomic nuclei and nuclear reactions that govern the formation of elements – from the steady burning of hydrogen in stars such as our Sun to explosive events including supernovae and X-ray bursts.

Using advanced particle accelerator facilities, researchers can recreate some of these processes under laboratory conditions and make precise measurements of the nuclear reactions involved. These measurements can help improve models of stellar explosions and build a clearer picture of how different elements are created and dispersed across the Universe.

Dr Sidhu said:

“One of the fundamental questions that drives my research is how the elements that make up our world came into existence. This funding will allow us to measure important nuclear reactions involved in some of the most extreme environments in the Universe, while also helping us build our experimental capabilities here at Surrey.”

The project will run for 12 months from October 2026.